Books and photo albums are commonly assembled from single- and double-sided printed documents and photographs. Traditional bookbinding methods include gluing or stitching a set of pages together along one edge. This bound edge is then attached to a book cover, either directly, or through attachment to a spine sheet. A spine sheet spans the spine of the cover without being attached to it, and is adhered only to the two sides of the cover. The spine sheet permits a user to fully open a finished book because it flexes separately from the spine of the cover. The bound edges of the manuscript are glued to the spine sheet or cover, and the spine sheet is glued to the cover.
However, there is an increasing volume of prints made at home, or in a retail establishment. There is also a growing movement in specialty, small-print presses. Non-traditional book-makers, including specialty presses and retail photo lab operators, have a need for a process for binding materials that does not require the heavy equipment typically used in conventional bookbinding. These book-makers also have a need for printing images on the front and back covers and the spine. For example, coffee-table books often include a single image printed on all three of those surfaces so that the whole image can be viewed when looking at the outside of the open book. This is referred to herein as a “fully-wrapped cover.”
Clamp- and ring-type binders, such as three-ring binders, do not have the appearance and function of conventional soft or hard covered books. Furthermore, these binders require a margin be provided in which perforations or other mounting features can be punched or placed; this margin can occupy a considerable area that could otherwise be printed with content. Moreover, sheets in these binders, e.g., three-ring binders, are susceptible to damage that permits pages to fall out, possibly without detection.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,326,018 describes a bundle of paper glue-bound to form a book. A glue band is wrapped around the bundle and heated to bind it. However, this scheme requires special equipment to wrap the glue band in a way that will not leave wrinkles or air bubbles in the band. Such wrinkles or bubbles would be perceptible to the touch of a person holding the book by the spine to read it, and could cause undesirable distraction or an impression of a lower-quality product.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,415 describes an adhesive matrix with a release liner. A cover is adhered to exposed adhesive after the release liner is removed. However, this scheme can leave a noticeable offset (at least the thickness of the matrix) between the endpapers at either end of the book. This can be objectionable. It also requires using a fixture to heat the adhesive matrix to attach to the inner sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,141 describes a binding element having a flexible clamp with slots for the sheets. Although the cover is included, there are a limited number of slots, and a limited number of sheets (e.g., 1) can be inserted in each slot. Binding by this scheme is therefore limited in use, time-consuming, and tedious.
EP342957 issued to 3M (inventors Dwyer et al.) describes binding sheets together using pressure-sensitive adhesive. However, this scheme uses an adhesive spine, so does not provide full wrap-around covers.
There is, therefore, a continuing need for ways of producing bound books or other printed matter with lower cost than, and increased flexibility compared to, conventional bookbinding, while still proving a custom fully-wrapped cover. There is also a need for a way of producing books and book covers using a single printing device or technology, since many home users and retail establishments only have one type of printer (e.g., inkjet or thermal, respectively). There is also a need for books produced in these ways.